Labels: Saddle Creek
Review by: Mike Whelan
Tim Kasher is filling up his year nicely. Last November his other band Cursive released their “Burst and Bloom’ EP, he then put out a Cursive split with Eastern Youth, spent several weeks in hospital and then managed to release this album while writing and recording the new Cursive record. Clearly he does not suffer from writers block.
I’m a big fan of Cursive, but I admit I was a little sceptical about this album. Everything I read about it said it was full of electronic effects and all different kinds of things I didn’t like but when I heard it, I was a changed man. The Good Life ain’t Cursive, not by a long stretch. Kasher uses this side-project as an excuse to let his imagination run riot. Every track on the record is vastly different from the last, varying from the 80’s synth-pop, Spandau Ballet-like “Beaten Track,’ to acoustic, softer songs like “Early Out the Gate,’ and rockin’, melodic efforts like “I Am An Island.’ The songs veer from melodic pop one moment to grounded rock the next, and while such a patchwork might occasionally get confusing, it’s a credit to The Good Life that in this case it doesn’t.
The influence from Cursive is apparent without being obvious, and this lends positively to the overall effect. There are some fantastic tracks on this album, as well as the three mentioned above the aching “Don’t Make Love So Hard’ and the more upbeat “Empty Bed’ stand out. Kasher is an amazing lyricist, able to convey terrible loss or upbeat exuberance with only the minimum effort.
This is absolutely essential listening to anybody who likes Cursive or melodic emo of any kind. If the quality on “Black Out’ is any radar-like summary of the forthcoming Cursive album then this could also be one to watch out for.